This invention relates to gun sights in general and more particularly to a gun sight which can be employed for either nighttime or daytime operation and which is particularly adaptable for small arms, such as rifles, shotguns, pistols and so on.
In regard to the above-noted related application and as one can ascertain, the prior art is replete with various devices generally designated as sights In general a sight is utilized for aiming a gun at a directly visible target. In order to aim a gun some sort of sighting device is required. Such devices range from simple front and rear sights, like those on an ordinary rifle, to complex fire control systems for large guns. The copending application has an extensive background of invention which describes many of such sighting devices. In any event, as one can ascertain, there is a need in modern weapons systems to provide sights which can be employed for night or daytime use. In the above-cited application there is described a sight which utilizes an image intensifier which can be directly positioned or removed from a telescopic sight assembly and as such is a separate component which can either be incorporated into the sight for nighttime use or can be removed from the sight assembly for daytime use.
The most common telescopic sights for use on weapons consists of an optical system made of lenses. This is a form of a refracting telescope which is useful under conditions of high illumination as, for example, daytime conditions. There exists telescopic sights in which an image intensifier has been included so that the sighting can be implemented using low levels of illumination. Such sights have been referred to in the above-noted copending application. In any event, the function of an image intensifier is to multiply the amount of incidental light received by it to produce a greater signal for application to the eyes of a viewer. As such, these devices have been employed by the military and in commercial devices as well. Examples of such devices can be had by reference to a text entitled "Photo Electricity And Its Applications" published in 1949 by John Wiley and Sons. Chapter 18 entitled "Light Beam Signaling Infrared Detection" shows examples of early nighttime vision devices which may be employed as gun sights, such as the Sniperscope and Snooperscope. In any event, in a modern weapon for military, policy or general use, such a weapon should employ a sight which will allow the weapon to be used during the day or night. The present system utilizes a sight which is capable of both day and nighttime operation and which is contained in a single compact structure so that it is not necessary to carry additional parts. Thus, the present invention is concerned with a one-piece day/night telescopic sight which can be used on shotguns, rifles, cross-bows and pistols. The telescopic sight device employs a simple pivotable or rotatable action implemented with a control knob or lever which enables one to operate the device in either a day or a nighttime setting under the selective actuation of the control knob or lever.